This Burger Attacked Me!

Sat 10/29/11

So my brother & I are foodies. We'll admit it. We love to check out new places to eat. We heard about this new restaurant on Fremont Street in Vegas called The Heart Attack Grill. Their Quadruple Bypass Burger is rumored to have over 5000 calories. Their fries are cooked in pure lard & the milkshakes have the world's highest butter fat content you can find! The waitresses are dressed like nurses and the cooks are dressed like doctors.

Andy & I walked in and they suited us up in hospital gowns before they sat us.

Comments

This morning as I was driving to work I was listening to your comments on The Heart Attack Grill. Please know as I respond to this I am a sister in Christ-totally not trying to be harsh or judgemental. However, I am also a Registered Dietitian. I have people before me every day hurting because they are struggling with their weight, have type 2 diabetes related to overweight/obesity, their child is obese, they are going in for bypass surgery, they are strapped to a dialysis machine for 3-5 hours 3 times a week, they have breast cancer, colon cancer, the list goes on. God gave us one body and I know it is my calling to not only educate people on how to care for that one body, but to motivate them as well. I cannot possibly support or even laugh at a restaurant such as this because I see the repercussions of unhealthy lifestyles. You can tell me I am over reacting, but right now there are people in hospital gowns going in for bypass surgery. They are terrified. Some will die. I saw this firsthand as I watched my own dad being rolled away to have his chest cracked open. Check out these statistics:
60% of US adults are either overweight or obese.
In 2002, 41,000 new cases of cancer were estimated to be due to obesity. At least 1/3 of all cancers are related to diet which means they are preventable.
Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. Dean Ornish MD and Caldwell Esslstyn MD have proven one can not only stop heart disease but actually reverse coronary artery disease through diet. Americans are complaining about the cost of health care and this preventable disease costs our country more than 250 billion per year.
Diabetes rates are climbing. 1.9 million people ages 20 or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and a major cause of heart disease and stroke.

Trust me- this is just the tip of the iceberg. I want to help all people but especially God's people treat their bodies with the reapect they deserve. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by our creator. I want people to have vitality, health, and joy to serve our Creator.

I do realize this was a one time trip to a restaurant. That being said, 1 Cor 10:31 tells us whatever we do-even eating and drinking, to do it all to the glory of God. Believe me, people struggle with food the same way or worse than drugs and alcohol. Unhealthy food wreaks also havoc on our bodies as do these substances. I see it daily. People hurt and struggle with it.

I just could not remain silent on this topic. Please know I write this humbly and with concern. As I said-I know God has called me to my profession. I cannot help but fight for people's health. I would LOVE to see you highlight healthy habits or even local healthy restaurants. I would love for there to be a place people in Las Vegas could go for help if they are struggling with obesity or chronic disease.